Anatomy Of I Issues Studio Recording Update

"For the mix, we went with engineer extraordinaire Simone Mularoni at Fear studio (Italy), who was recommended to me by my good friend Sym (the Modern Age Slavery/Empyrios). Over the course of the last decade, Simone has recorded/mixed numerous bands, ranging from rock and prog to power metal, deathmetal, etc... he understood the balance that we were aiming for, finding the right compromise between heaviness and subtle dynamics.

"We started out with reamping the guitars, trying various setups with a Marshall JCM 2000, Peavey 5150 II, Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and an EVH 5150 III; The EVH amp with a Mesa boogie cabinet ending up being the winning combination as it offered both a crushing but precise low end for rhythms and a sharp & edgy sound for leads. The bass parts were reamped through an Ampeg head& cabinet, as this offered the closest thing to Steve's actual live sound. Drum-wise we didn't have to sound replace anything or add any samples as Dirk's drums sounded big and dynamic; they merely needed some EQing.

"Sym would drop by now and then, listening to a handful of parts and giving his opinion before dissappearing, giving us his best Rick Rubin impersonation; an outsider's opinion we could rely on. After wrapping up the mix, we took a week off to take a step back and listen to it with fresh ears, make some final adjustments before the mastering.

"Simo suggested to do the mastering at another studio, but since the communication was so flawless, I didn't want to bother with involving another person into this, electing to let Simo do the master, this time in his own brand new (and yet-to-be-named) studio. On December the 3rd, I received the final master...and it's CRUSHING!"